5 Teams That Could Realistically Trade for Pelicans' Dejounte Murray

The New Orleans Pelicans may have more suitors than expected for Dejounte Murray if he returns before the February 5 trade deadline.

John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

The New Orleans Pelicans will be drawing a ton of attention ahead of the February 5 trade deadline. While the team is on a four-game winning streak, the Pelicans are expected to be sellers at the deadline as they are in the midst of a lost season and the early stages of a rebuild around Jeremiah Fears and Derik Queen. Valuable veterans like Zion Williamson, Trey Murphy, and Herb Jones are popular names on the rumor mill, but the Pelicans may have a trade chip that is going under the radar in Dejounte Murray.

Murray has not played since January 31 after rupturing his Achilles tendon. He has been recovering from the serious injury ever since, but is expected to return after the New Year. While he will need some time to get back to his old self, Murray and his $30.8 million salary for the season could be moved before the deadline, especially if he can return and contribute between now and then.

The acquiring team will likely be more interested in Murray as a future asset or a potential contributor for next season rather than the current one. The 29-year-old could be a high-upside gamble for a team willing to offload toxic assets in a trade.

With that framework in mind, here are some teams that could reasonably be interested in trading for Murray.

Milwaukee Bucks

The Bucks' interest in Murray is already well-documented. They were previously interested in the former All-Star guard before the Hawks traded him to the Pelicans. There were recent reports that Milwaukee could revisit this interest with the hopes of convincing Giannis Antetokounmpo to stay.

Since Murray will not warrant significant draft capital and the Bucks don't have many assets, this could be a low-risk, high-reward play for the Bucks. A trade package that includes Kyle Kuzma and Bobby Portis will be enough to match salaries on both sides.

Brooklyn Nets

The Nets are in asset accumulation mode and could be interested in Murray as an asset rather than a key contributor. Since they have more cap space and financial flexibility than they know what to do with, they could easily bring Murray in to try to rehabilitate his trade value. After Murray proves he can stay healthy and get back to his former self, the Nets could trade him again for positive value.

Plus, Brooklyn doesn't have a starting-caliber point guard on the roster. Having a competent, proven veteran like Murray there could help the young Nets. Since he won't be playing too many minutes in his return from injury, Murray would not be stepping on any toes and taking playing time away from the young players, either. He would also not be playing at a high enough level this season to jeopardize the Nets' lottery odds.

Indiana Pacers

The Pacers are already throwing this season away. Without Tyrese Haliburton, the Pacers are headed to a top-five pick in the draft and will try to build around their star guard after his return from an Achilles tear. So, adding Murray in a buy-low move makes some sense for the Pacers. They won't rush his return, bring him along slowly, and have him as the third guard behind Haliburton and Andrew Nembhard next season.

There are plenty of mid-sized contracts like Obi Toppin, T.J. McConnell, and Isaiah Jackson that the Pacers can send the Pelicans' way in this trade.

Washington Wizards

The Pelicans and the Wizards already engaged in a trade this past offseason, exchanging CJ McCollum and Jordan Poole. Recently, the Wizards have been interested in trading for veterans to rehabilitate their trade values and move them again. They could very well want to do so with Murray.

The Wizards are focused on their future and don't want to win too many games this season. Adding Murray doesn't jeopardize that plan this season, as he will be limited upon his return. Plus, McCollum and Khris Middleton's contracts are coming off the books after this season, creating a ton of cap space for the Wizards to fill Murray's salary in without limiting their plans for 2026 free agency.

Dallas Mavericks

The Mavericks are entering a new era with Cooper Flagg as the centerpiece. That means that big changes can be expected at the trade deadline. Any veteran who has trade value on the market should be available, including Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson.

What Dallas is missing is more shot creation, especially while Kyrie Irving is recovering from his ACL injury. He is unlikely to return this season, so the Mavericks are severely short-handed in the backcourt. Seeing what Murray can do and whether he can be a part of this group going forward is a path they could explore. When Irving returns, and he is still a Maverick next season, an Irving-Murray backcourt could be an intriguing pairing.

Considering the number of mid-sized contracts they have on the books (Thompson, Daniel Gafford, PJ Washington, Caleb Martin, and Naji Marshall), finding a trade with the Pelicans that makes sense shouldn't be too big a problem.